Chapter 15
Instead of returning to the college after the reading of Trenton Sidney’s will, Oliver Humphrey had taken a room at the Carlyle and spent most of the night staring at the ceiling above his bed, wondering what he was going to do.
To most people one hundred million dollars would have been an incredibly generous bequest. In fact, if anyone else but Trenton had left that much to the college, Humphrey would have been ecstatic.
The problem was that while Trenton had never come out and told Humphrey precisely how much he would be leaving the school when he died, he had given Humphrey the impression that the amount would be at least double what it had ended up being.
Humphrey had been counting on that amount to get him out of his predicament.
And not only was the amount half of what he expected, Trenton had laid down rules on its use.
How dare he do that to Humphrey? Who was he to determine where the money was most needed?
It wasn’t until the wee hours of the morning, when Humphrey had finally calmed down enough to think straight, that he realized the solution to his problem was in the will.
Anyone who contested Trenton’s last wishes in court and failed would see their share of the inheritance divided among the remaining beneficiaries.
Humphrey had done his research and knew Barrington was a big shot at one of the most prestigious firms in the country. So unlike Trenton’s son Aaron, Humphrey believed Barrington when he said that there was no chance of someone winning a challenge.
While he had no intention of mounting said challenge himself, he could encourage Aaron to do so.
The college’s split of Aaron’s inheritance would make its share come out to even more than the two hundred million Humphrey had expected. And if he could convince Aaron to fall on the sword, there was an excellent chance Ryan would follow his brother’s lead.
That would mean the college would receive half of the estate, or just over a billion dollars.
Humphrey all but salivated at the thought.
That would be more than enough money to cover the bad investments he had made without the board of trustees’ knowledge and leave plenty to pay for Trenton’s stupid scholarship idea.
For a few minutes, he even fantasized about tricking the long-lost daughter into joining her half brothers’ suit and having the entire estate land in his lap. Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out a way to make that happen. She was the reason Aaron was not happy about the will, after all.
So be it. Humphrey would have to be satisfied with what he could get.
He waited until seven a.m., then sent a text.
Hi Aaron. It’s Oliver Humphrey, of Oliver Humphrey College. I was wondering if you’d like to meet up for lunch. After yesterday, I’m sure we have lots to talk about.
He hoped Aaron would interpret the message as Humphrey sharing his concerns about the will. But if anyone else saw the text and questioned him about it, he could easily say that he only wanted to calm Aaron down after his outburst in Barrington’s office.
His effort bore fruit less than ten minutes later, when he received a reply.
Monkey Bar. 12:30.
Aaron was already at the restaurant when Humphrey arrived.
“Is your brother joining us?” Humphrey asked after he took a seat.
“Why should he?”
The terseness of Aaron’s answer caught Humphrey off guard.
“No reason,” Humphrey said, then picked up his menu. “Lunch is on me, by the way.”
Aaron lifted his menu but said nothing.
A waiter approached their table soon after. “Something to drink?”
“Gibson martini,” Aaron said.
“Very good. And you, sir?” he asked Humphrey.
“A glass of the Domaine Laroche Chardonnay.”
The waiter nodded and left.
Aaron looked at his menu for several more seconds before setting it down. “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” His tone was not quite hostile, but it was close.
“I know you weren’t happy about your father’s will.”
Aaron snorted. “You could say that.”
“And it must have come as quite a shock to find out you have an older sister.”
Aaron crossed his arms and huffed. “That woman is not my sister.”
“Didn’t Mr. Barrington give you documentation about that?”
“Like I’d believe anything coming from him.”
Humphrey nodded solemnly. “I know what you mean.”
Aaron’s brow furrowed. “You do?”
“Sure. Everything about the meeting yesterday seemed…off, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?” Aaron asked, sounding interested for the first time.
Humphrey acted like he was wrestling with whether to say anything or not, then let out a breath. “I’m not sure if you knew this or not, but your father and I were pretty close.”
“Um, he might have mentioned that.”
Humphrey knew that was a lie because, despite his attempts, he and Trenton had never been more than cordial acquaintances, so Trenton would never have had reason to say otherwise.
“You could say, I was a kind of confidant of his. Someone he’d talk to when he had things on his mind. I’m sure you have someone like that.”
“Of course I do,” Aaron said in a way that made it clear he didn’t.
“The thing is, your father never mentioned anything about a daughter.”
Aaron’s jaw tensed. “I knew it. She’s an impostor, isn’t she?”
Humphrey was sure she wasn’t. Susan looked too much like her father.
“I don’t have any knowledge on whether she is or isn’t.
What I’m saying is that her existence is something I’m sure your father would have told me about.
It’s possible he was still trying to figure out if she was on the up-and-up and that’s why he didn’t say anything. ”
“There were DNA tests with my copy of the will.”
“Which can be doctored, if you have enough money. Or the promise of enough money.”
Aaron sneered. “Very true.” After a moment, he said, “You know, she screwed you, too.”
Now it was Humphrey’s turn to be caught off guard. “What do you mean?”
“I was the executor of my father’s will before that forgery Barrington read to us. The college was supposed to get three hundred million.”
“Is that right?” Humphrey said as calmly as he could, while inside he seethed at having what should have been his slashed by a third.
The waiter returned with their drinks, saving Humphrey from needing to elaborate, and letting him get his anger in check. He couldn’t worry about what might have been. He needed to stay on task for his plan to succeed.
When they were alone again, he said, “Barrington told me something about supporting paperwork from your father? Was there something else in your envelope?”
Aaron snorted. “Yeah. A letter from dear old Dad.”
“Handwritten or typed?”
“Typed, except for the signature.”
“So it could have been written by anyone and the signature forged.”
“Exactly what I thought.”
Humphrey acted like he was considering it for a moment, then frowned. “Barrington also mentioned a video. I assumed it’s of your father confirming the will is genuine.”
“That was probably just a threat. I doubt one exists. And even if one does, they can do amazing things with AI these days.”
“They can indeed. We’ve had to add a whole class to the curriculum that deals with artificial intelligence.”
“Goddammit!” Aaron clenched his jaw and looked like he wanted to hit something. “That son-of-a-bitch lawyer is trying to scam me!…I mean us.”
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but I think you might be right.” Humphrey hesitated, then added in a whisper only Aaron could hear, “Yesterday, you seemed intent on challenging the will. Do you still feel that way?”
“I…I’m not sure. I was pissed off yesterday.”
“You’re not now?”
“I am, but…”
Humphrey nodded. “You’re worried about the clause concerning unsuccessful challenges.”
Aaron narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see you challenging it.”
“I would if I could. But I’m not in the same position as you.”
“Bullshit. You’re a beneficiary.”
“I am not. The college is. And that means the involvement of a board of trustees and others who have a say in how the institution handles bequests.”
Aaron grimaced. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Trust me, if I had personally been mentioned, I would have already filed my challenge.”
“You would have?”
“Of course.” Humphrey paused for a beat. “While the college can’t do anything, I think I might be able to get you some evidence that will help with your claim.”
“What evidence?” Aaron asked, without even realizing that Humphrey had just refocused his dissatisfaction into an action.
“Recorded conversations with your father that are part of the college’s archives.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your father and I would discuss plans for the guest lectures he gave. We recorded them so that we’d remember what we talked about. After we finished our business, the conversations would often venture into personal matters.”
“And that’s on tape, too?”
“I’m not sure exactly what was recorded and what wasn’t, but there will be something that I’m sure will be beneficial to you. If you’d like, I can check.”
Aaron leaned forward greedily. “Yes, please.”
“It may take me a few weeks.”
“Sure, sure.”
Humphrey paused again. “You know, if you’re right about Barrington’s intentions, he’ll likely dispense the girl’s share first.”
Aaron’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“If I were you, I’d file the challenge as soon as possible, to keep him from doing that.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Do you have a lawyer who can help you?”
“Ryan can do it.”
“Your brother’s a lawyer?”
“He just passed the bar.”
“That’s great. You take care of that, and I’ll see what I can find to help you out.”
“Thank you, Mr. Humphrey,” Aaron said. “You’re actually an all right guy.”
“Just trying to do the right thing.”
They were soon served lunch, and Aaron immediately dug in, clearly in a rush to get moving on the challenge.
As soon as he finished, Humphrey said, “Don’t feel the need to hang around while I eat. I know you have things to do.”
“Thanks, Mr. Humphrey,” Aaron said, already pushing out of his seat.
He held out a hand and Humphrey shook it.
“If you can, let me know when you’ve filed. I’ll raise a glass to your coming success.”
“Will do.” And with that, Aaron was gone.
Humphrey allowed himself to relax for the first time in what seemed like weeks. It was just possible that things were going to work out, and even better than he hoped.
The waiter returned. “Will there be anything else?”
“Actually, I would love another glass of this wonderful Chardonnay.”
The waiter flashed a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
Humphrey took the last sip from his current glass and wondered if maybe he should order some dessert, too.